Jeannie Lawson

Cooperative: SUMA Wholefoods
City: Elland
Country: United Kingdom
Sector: Wholefood wholesaler/distributor
Founded: 1975

I feel that dedication and motivation are key factors that come from being a part of a cooperative, and I believe that this gives us an edge in the market today

I have done many different jobs before. Milk woman, factory worker, spot welder, chef, dj, parcels courier, forklift driver and a delivery driver…I always had a good working relationship with all managing teams. At Suma, I am a full member of the Cooperative and have full voting rights, at general members meetings and department team meetings. My challenge is to fulfil the Suma members job description, especially regarding my self-development and to become an increasingly multi-skilled member worker. Suma trained me to drive heavy goods vehicles and use the computer system to do logistics management. I feel that dedication and motivation are key factors that come from being a part of a cooperative, and I believe that this gives us an edge in the market today. This has been proven by Suma’s growing success. I think that worker cooperatives could be an alternative form of employment during the economic crisis which is affecting us, because people would feel more involved and part of something special, and they would share resources more equitably. Coops can allow us to build a more sustainable economy which reflects and supports what every member really wants. We do the following here at Suma.

I think that everyone should have:

- Equal working conditions
- Equal pay
- Equal work
- Equal opportunities for all.

We need to encourage new fundamental values in society to forge a new ethical understanding that will involve us all collectively. This is what people want. Look at the recent backlash against banks and governments that have their own agenda on how we should live. I feel secure in my job. Suma has survived recessions before and I feel I will be here until retirement because I can learn new skills when they are needed. I have been happy most of the time in my work as a member, even though being a worker cooperative member can be challenging at times!

Suma is the UK’s largest independent wholefood wholesaler/distributor, specialising in vegetarian, fairly traded, organic, ethical and natural products. The workers’ cooperative is committed to ethical business. For more information: www.suma.coop

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xIS...

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What is a cooperative

Cooperatives a sustainable employment solution!

A cooperative is an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social, and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly-owned and democratically-controlled enterprise.

Enterprises represented by CECOP are enterprises in which workers unite to satisfy their needs in terms of creation of sustainable jobs. They can be industrial enterprises or services rooted in the territories and having a long-term strategy. They are a genuine solution for sustainable jobs in Europe: they are broken down into workers’ cooperatives, social cooperatives and other types of enterprises owned by their workers.

Workers’ cooperatives: Workers’ cooperatives are enterprises subject to the same restrictions of competition, management and profitability as other companies. Their originality lies in the fact that their workers hold the majority of the shares, at least 51%. In doing so, the workers decide jointly on the major guidelines of their enterprises and appoint their leaders (managers, boards of directors, etc.). They also decide on how to share the profit with a twofold aim: to give the preference to the workers of the enterprises, in the form of refunds based on the work done and to consolidate the enterprises with a view to handing it over onto the future generations, i.e. creating reserves to reinforce the equity and ensuring thereby the sustainability of their enterprises. In all cooperatives, the internal democratic control is based on the principle of “one man, one vote” whatever the capital share held by the respective workers. Finally, the cooperative spirit promotes its employees information and training, a prerequisite to develop the autonomy, the motivation and responsibility, accountability required in an economic world which has become insecure. (Source: www.scop.coop)

Social cooperatives: Social cooperatives are specialised in the provision of social services or reintegration of disadvantaged and marginalised workers (disabled, long-term unemployed, former detainees, addicts, etc.). A large number of such cooperatives have been set up in Italy but also in other EU countries. Most of them are owned by their workers while offering the possibility or providing for the obligation (according to the national laws) to involve other types of members (users, voluntary workers, etc.).

Other types of enterprises owned by their workers: There are other types of enterprises owned by their workers such as for example the “Sociedades Laborales” in Spain which are real driving forces of economic and social activities which have contributed to lower the unemployment level and to revamp a sustained growth in Spain.